Brief
Farage vows five‑year suspension of UK asylum system if Reform wins election
Reform UK plans to suspend all asylum routes for a full parliamentary term, prompting criticism from Labour and others.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, announced on Monday that a Reform government would suspend the United Kingdom's asylum system for five years, voiding pending applications and ending resettlement schemes.
What happened
Farage said the party would not hear the roughly 90,000 outstanding asylum and humanitarian protection appeals and would deport claimants instead. The proposal includes scrapping all asylum tribunals, legal refugee routes and existing resettlement programmes. Farage added that any refugees granted asylum in the last five years would have their cases reviewed by the Home Office.
What the reports add
The Standard reported that the plan would also close resettlement schemes recently announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, which were expected to admit a quarter of new arrivals as Palestinians and women and girls from Afghanistan. The outlet noted that Reform UK claims there is “no mandate” for such schemes and that anyone arriving under them would be deported.
What was said
Farage told The Telegraph that “the country is currently facing a national security emergency and the first duty of government is to protect its citizens.” He added, “We cannot accept more asylum seekers while we still have no idea how many people are in the country illegally and the threat they pose.” Labour party chairwoman Bridget Phillipson called the proposals “a carbon copy of their policy” and said they “run away from basic decency.” Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the plans “largely copy” Conservative measures.
How it came about
The pledge follows Reform UK's earlier announcement of “visa freezes” for nationals of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia, and a plan to use tariffs and airline bans to pressure countries to take back migrants. The party frames these measures as a response to what it describes as a “national security emergency.”
Key facts
- Reform UK would suspend the UK asylum system for five years if elected (standard.co.uk)
- Around 90,000 outstanding asylum and humanitarian protection appeals would not be heard (standard.co.uk)
- Resettlement schemes expected to admit many Palestinians and Afghan women would be closed (standard.co.uk)
- Labour criticised the plan as a “carbon copy” of other right‑wing policies (standard.co.uk)
Sources
- [1] standard.co.uk — originally reported as “Farage to pledge to suspend asylum system for five years”
